What If AUs With Don't Starve: What This World Has to Offer
by Phoenixflame of Thunderclan
Summary: Have you ever wondered what would happen if, say, WX did not push Webber away in Chapter 50? Or perhaps if WX decided to assist in the attempted murder of Webber? Maybe you've thought about what would happen if Nick killed the Ancient Guardian instead. Well, here are those AUs and more. Contains spoilers for What This World Has to Offer and dark sides of characters not seen before.
1. WX Did Not Save Webber

**Warning: Contains spoilers for What This World Has to Offer.**

 **I do not own Don't Starve or any of it's creatures/characters, but I pretty much own everything else. A.K.A. I own the plot line for both this version and the actual version.**

 **Today's What if...**

 _What if WX did not push Webber out of the way in Chapter 50? WX survived the battle against the Ancient Guardian, but Webber was impaled and, unlike him, was killed instantly. Now he has to face the guilt of knowing that he_ could have _saved him, but simply chose not to. Does he learn to get over it, or is it something that constantly stings every waking thought that he has?_

I could have. I really could have. Why didn't I? I wanted to, I felt it, but there was something that kept my feet locked in place as I simply watched.

And now Webber was dead.

And it was all my fault.

"Are you okay?" Wilson asked. "It wasn't your fault you know, right?" He looked into the dancing flames of the fire at camp.

"YES IT WAS," I sighed. "I... I COULD'VE... I COULD'VE SAVED HIM..."

"How do you know that?" he asked quietly. "Are you sure you wouldn't have died instead?"

I knew I would've died instead, but this guilt, this piercing guilt... if I had pushed him away, could he have lived? "WHY DOES THAT MATTER?" I remembered with a flash the look on Erika's face. I couldn't understand her, but she even refused to let me anywhere near her fallen brother. She thought I was a monster. _And she was right..._ She saw me watch the Ancient Guardian. She saw me do nothing to help him. _Why was I built this way!?_

"Well, don't you think it might be _him_ in this situation instead? Thinking over and over again it was his own stupidity that killed you? Would you have wanted _that_ instead?"

I turned his words over in my mind. I was thinking about myself again. Being all whiny about being guilty. "SURELY HE WOULDN'T HAVE CARED," I huffed. "AFTERALL, YOU KNOW VERY WELL HOW LITTLE WE CARED ABOUT EACH OTHER."

"Don't you ever think you two could've been closer?" He pointed out.

If only I was able to talk to him! My head burned once more with the pressing agony of guilt. I didn't hate him. I really didn't. But he didn't know that, and now he never will. I should've told him before the battle that I was beginning to see us as friends.

"WX, you know moping about it isn't going to change anything," Nick spoke up. His words were laced with an underlying grief, but I could tell he was holding back a lot of anger. Was he mad at me? Then I realized he was mad at himself for not saving him. "It could've been any of us."

"BUT IT WAS _HIM_ ," I growled. "AND I LET IT HAPPEN."

I hardly noticed as the time stretched on and the sun rose once more, spreading springtime warmth across the land. "Will you do anything today?" Wilson asked gently. "I'm more than willing to excuse you."

"I'LL DO... WHAT I WANT TO DO..." Well, the only thing I really wanted to do was go back in time and save my only friend's life, but I wasn't going to let him know that. I'd show him what _I_ 'm made of!

"Fair enough," he nodded curtly. "Good luck with that." With that, he turned and disappeared into the brush. I closed my 'eyes', blocking out Nick entirely, so I wasn't even sure if he tried saying anything or not. The air, although warm, seemed to prick with chills. Everything was _too_ happy, _too_ bright, _too_ cheerful. Without a word, I stood and stalked off, letting the cool chill of the dark forest reach far into my frame. I almost relished the crisp silence. In my mind, I felt something like a mental shield go up, and for a moment, I was not lost in grief. My chest stopped aching with guilt. It was the most wonderful feeling I ever had.

Absolutely nothing. This is how I should feel all the time. All androids were built specifically _not_ to have emotions. I was an exception. But now... for once, I hated the 'gift' I had been given, and found my footsteps becoming faster and more agitated, before the mental wall went up once more and it disappeared almost instantly. I slowed to a halt, finding myself far from our camp and even far from any place I knew of. The trees were a sickly green, coneless, and almost lumpy. A single well-worn path wove through the strange forest. I found myself avoiding the road, not wanting to be anywhere near anything, even if it was just a pig path or something like that. I hardly even felt the strange pang of hunger that came from living on this island.

 _ **"Well, there you are,"**_ a voice suddenly sounded in my head, and I jumped, looking around. _ **"Oh, hmm. You've already seemed to forgotten me? That's strange. What's wrong with you?"**_

 __I didn't even want to answer the mystery voice.

 _ **"Oh, friend passed, how terrible."**_

 __I forced back a shiver of fear. How could it tell what I was thinking.

 _ **"Say, pal, you're much more jumpy than I remember. Even with that little emotion wall I put up for you hardly seemed to help."**_

 __ _Why can't you just leave me in peace?_

 _ **"Oh, what's the fun of that?"**_ The voice laughed. _**"But that's not the point. Come on, let me in a little. It seems we have much to share.**_ "

With one last painfully searing thought, I sighed. _You know, you're right. We_ do _have much to share._

Finally, while the voice spoke in the background of my mind, I realized that I had found the one thing I had wanted just moments before.

I was guilt free.

In fact, I felt good. I didn't think anymore about what had happened, but most importantly...

I no longer even cared.


	2. WX Assisted in Webber's Murder

_This chapter's What If is..._

 _What if WX-78 decided not to help Webber during Wilson's assassination attempts, and in fact, decided to help Wilson instead. Webber managed to break away with his life, but just barely. They didn't realize then that they just made a new, very powerful enemy, and neither of them are sure they can finish the job..._

 _ **Webber's POV**_

 __We ran as fast and far as we could. We knew that, of all of us, we were the fastest, and only maybe a charged WX could catch up. Luckily, lightning did not break the sky, and we knew that they would not be able to find us. _Wilson's been a bit nutty lately,_ I reminded myself. _But we never expected WX to try and kill us too!_

We kept running until our legs couldn't hold us up any longer, and we collapsed from exhaustion. _Did they follow us?_ The area was completely silent, and we let out a breath we didn't know we were holding. We let ourself drift off into an uneasy slumber.

We woke early the next morning, our fur heavy with dew. Our legs were on fire, and our neck wound still pulsed blood. We were dizzy from tiredness despite our rest, and we did not want to get up again. However, our stomach had other ideas, and soon, we were forced to struggle to our feet. Even if we really tried, we knew we couldn't hunt, and our only hope of finding something to eat was perhaps foraging for berries. However, when we finally managed to find food, we fell once more before we could even get anywhere near the berries. _Maybe we should just rest for awhile..._

 _ **Wilson's POV**_

 __"What!? You lost him?" I demanded.

WX did not look up to meet my glare, but I could sense the faintest hint of guilt in his facial expression. "HE'S FASTER THAN US," he mumbled after a few minutes.

Much as I hated to admit it, he was right. Slowly, little by little, I began to feel like my old self, and reality crashed into me, the weight of what I had done heavy on my shoulders. "What did we just do?" I croaked.

"I DON'T KNOW," he replied simply. "UM... WENT A BIT OVERBOARD... PERHAPS... I THINK..."

"Ugh," I face-palmed. "You know he will never forgive us, right?"

He nodded, looking troubled.

"And that he probably has an entire spider army at his command?"

"OR HE'S DEAD," his bluntness shocked me. "YOU DID GET HIM PRETTY GOOD IN THE THROAT." He mumbled something under his breath.

"What?"

"YOU SHOULD'VE AIMED FOR THE EYES," he smirked darkly.

"Whoa, watch it. You know-"

"OH FOR CRYING- SARCASM, DIP-WAD. LEARN IT."

Things I never thought I would hear WX say

1) Dip-wad

"Oh... haha?"

He gave me an annoyed glare. "ARE WE GOING TO FIND HIM OR STAND HERE ALL DAY GOSSIPING?"

2) Gossiping

"Oh, right." I blinked and shook my head to clear it. "Because, you know, if we don't, someone will die."

No sooner than when I said the words did he suddenly leap up on the wooden thing and sat there, staring at me with a bored expression. He said nothing for several minutes.

"What... are you doing...?"

"WAITING FOR YOU."

"But I was... you know what? Nevermind." I stepped forwards and grabbed his wrist, yanking him off of his perch. "Come on."

 _ **Webber's POV**_

 __Our whole body felt like a giant bruise. We could hardly move at first, let alone sit up and look around, or even open our eyes for that matter. It wasn't until something alarmingly furry brushed against our hand did we pull away and blink open our eyes. It was so dark, we could hardly see. Water dripped somewhere close by, and underneath us was a warm, soft substance, pleasantly stringy and sticky. It took us less than a minute to figure out where we were, even with our buzzing thoughts, but it still came as a surprise to see a certain dangling depths dweller watching patiently close by.

"Hmm, someone looks surprised," the white-furred spider, Erika, commented. "What happened to you?"

We didn't even bother to answer her, but instead asked our own question. "Why- when- h-how did we get here?"

She gave a sort of huffing noise. "Just because we live underground doesn't mean we don't know any surface spiders, Webber. I'd be very justified if I was offended right now." Her expression softened. "You're lucky I know you." She then added: "Let me guess, another run-in with a rock lobster?" with a cheeky grin, her pinkish-red eyes glowing with a teasing humor.

"U-um, n-no, we don't think so..."

"Well," she prompted after another few moments of staring at one another. "What was powerful enough to take down the fantastic Erika's brother?"

We continued staring at her, mouth agape in shock. "Y-you know about that? Did we dream the same thing?"

She gently butted our hand, purring. "That wasn't the point of the question, but yes... am I at least right?"

We nodded a single time. "But to answer your earlier question..." We shuddered, and she instantly pressed against our thigh, as though offering comfort. "We thought we could trust them, Erika. We thought..."

"Who?" She asked gently.

"Our _friends_ ," I spat bitterly. "They betrayed us."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Even the robot? He seemed really concerned about you last time..."

"Well he did," I sniped, then instantly felt guilty for being rude. "Sorry."

"It's alright," she murmured. "I-I've never known what it's like to have friends betray me... I can't imagine how horrible it would feel." She ran a claw gently down the patched wound on our neck. "Did they do that to you?" We nodded slowly, and she sighed. "Can you stand?"

We nodded again, assuming we felt so much pain because of our mental state instead of our physical state. Erika offered to help us up, but we rejected it and struggled to our feet ourself. She looked only slightly relieved. We were dizzy for a moment as the blood rushed to our head. 

She took a step back, examining the length of our body. "Was that the only wound?" She asked.

"Yes," I replied quietly.

She visibly relaxed. "Come on. I know a place you can relax until you regain your strength."

…

Puffing, we shot up a tree, examining the ground below. Our claws were short, but well-trained and curled into the bark. We calmed slightly as we realized the rustling we heard was only from a rabbit, mindlessly nibbling on the leaves of a bush. _We're not ready to fight them... not yet, anyway._ We let out chest expand with fresh air, then launched down to land on it, snapping its spine to effectively paralyze it, then formed a thin slice in its throat, blood spilling out of the wound to stain its normally brown fur. The smell of meat mixed with blood tempted our senses, but we weren't savage. We brushed the dirt off of our knees then scrabbled back up the tree awkwardly, one of our hands taken holding the rabbit. Walking was easier, but going from tree-to-tree was safer. We retracted our claws, trying not to leave marks on the fragile branches and weaved up and around the forest.

It was quite a nice day out, but some part of us felt ominously chilly. We shook our head slowly to clear it. We couldn't think too hard. We might bring back bad memories. Suddenly, we stopped, nearly shooting off of the branch with our speed. We didn't realize we had come so far. Up ahead, we knew, the forest would thin out and beyond that... we flinched away with a snarl. Taking off in a different direction, trying to get as far away as possible. By the time we were back at the sinkhole, our heart was pounding, and we knew it was not from the trip back.

We stiffened at the sound of voices. Was it them? It had been... maybe three weeks since we last saw them. Night was falling, but we no longer cared. The beast hadn't bothered us since we fled. Stiff with fear and rage, we rose a few more branches, clinging to the darkest bark we could find and hoping it was enough to hide our black fur.

"WHY ARE YOU SO JUMPY?" We flinched hearing WX exclaim, but relaxed as we realized it was directed at Wilson, not us.

"Why are you _not_?" He protested. "It's _creepy_ here."

The footsteps stopped for a second, and we held our breath, trying not to disturb the new leaves around us. "ARE YOU REALLY STILL WORRIED ABOUT WEBBER?" We nearly fell off the branch as we heard our name.

"It's not that..." They started walking again, the darkness obscuring everything but the small orb of light produced by a torch, which they both stood in. Only WX was holding a spear. The branch creaked and quivered, and WX's gaze shot up. We could tell that, despite his frustration at Wilson, he was cautious about us too. With a stifled yelp of alarm, it snapped and we plummeted to the forest floor, lying stunned right in front of the two people who- the last time they saw us- tried to kill us.

We shook it off and scrambled to our feet as quickly as possible, stepping slowly backwards to the safety of a nearby tree.

"You're alive?" Wilson croaked. "Webber, is that really you?" He took a step towards us but stopped himself. He must have seen anger and hatred burning in our eyes.

"Leave us alone," I snarled.

"WEBBER-" WX cut himself off as our gaze snapped to him.

"What? Was driving us away not enough? Are you trying to _finish the job?_ " We felt a stab of pity as we remembered _these were once our friends_. We reached back and scored our claws down the trunk of the nearest tree, preparing to climb it. The rabbit was long forgotten.

WX took a few cautious moves towards us, and when he was close enough we lunged forward and ripped the spear out of his grasp, hitting him in the chest with the butt of it, and throwing it at Wilson, trying to shoo him away. We met WX's sorrowful gaze. "This has nothing to do with him anymore..." I snarled. "The quarrel was always between us, wasn't it? We thought that we were friends, but obviously we were wrong." We flashed a look at Wilson, seeing the spear had buried itself deep in his shoulder, the jerked our eyes to WX. "Don't you have _anything_ to say for yourself?"

"I WOULD," he admitted. "BUT I DON'T THINK ANYTHING I COULD SAY WOULD CHANGE YOUR MIND... YOU WANT TO KILL US, DON'T YOU?"

"You can hardly blame us." Wilson collapsed, blood pumping out of his wound, but we didn't even look."

WX looked at his companion, seeming to understand there was nothing he could do for him and ripping the bloody spear away and aiming it at us. He seemed... sad.

He darted forward to stab us, but we dodged neatly out of the way with a twirl to face him. He flipped around, shocked. We knew our claws weren't going to do anything. There were others weapons we had to hurt him though. He leaped again, but as we were about to dodge, he turned suddenly and buried the spear deep into our chest. Agonizing pain washed over our senses, and we fell on our back against our will.

Slowly, WX tore it out of our chest and gave us a... funny look. "IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY," he murmured quietly.

We tried to reply, but all that we managed to do was whimper.

"I'M SORRY IT DID..." He grimaced. "I'M SORRY..." With a quick stabbing motion, he stuck the point into our neck.


	3. Nick Was Never Introduced

This place was entirely new to him. His footsteps were light but confident, and his mind was a whirlwind of confusion and excitement. The room was very plain; an empty white void was all around him.

"What are you doing here?" Asked a new voice, causing him to jump, instantly on the defensive, power at his fingertips in case the intruder should attack. He relaxed as he saw who it was.

"Charlie," he greeted with a single nervous nod. "What are _you_ doing here?"

The woman brushed past him, running her fingers over an orb that was suspended in the air. As she touched it, it crumbled, leaving just dust and ashes in its wake. "The world is gone. Why are you still here?"

"Curiosity," he replied, still eyeing her. "How did you get here?"

"I have as much right to be here as you."

"Not quite. You are no longer the Night Monster. Only I should be able to be here."

Charlie narrowed her eyes at the boy. Despite his youth, he was a fine Night Monster, powerful and smart. He was stubborn though. Perhaps a bit too stubborn. "I was once the Night Monster, for much longer than you, nonetheless. I am well within my rights to be here." She took a few paces forward, stopping at another bubble that dissipated at her touch. "What is there left to be curious about?" She went back to his earlier statement.

He looked away, watching the scenes in the orbs as though they were movies. "I was curious on how different my adventure would have been if everything didn't play out as it did." His white eyes softened. "So much ways we could've failed."

"Do you feel as though you failed still?" She asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"No. I regret nothing. Especially my final moments. I did what I had to to save as many lives as possible." Suddenly, in a flash of rage, he lashed his claws out at a collapsing globe. "Why couldn't I have just saved us?" He snarled. "Nick ruined everything. No one would have suffered if he had just _let me take the Throne_. Wilbur would still be alive if it weren't for him!"

"He died a martyr."

"He died because I didn't have the strength to save him!"

"You tried your best."

"Pretty lousy best, dontcha think?" He hissed wretchedly. "If only things had been different..."

"Different how? Do you wish Nick never joined your team? Have you wondered just how much suffering he saved you and your group?" Her voice lowered, and she got down on her knees to come eye-to-eye with him. "Webber, you don't have to save everyone. Nick was important to your journey, just as Wilson, just as WX-78, just as Wilbur. Everything that happened lead to the best possible outcomes. Wilson was always going to be under Maxwell's influence, WX was always going to give his life to spare you, Wilbur was always going to find you and protect you, Nick was always going to save you from the Throne. I just didn't see it at the time..."

Charlie and Webber slowly walked down the rows upon rows of orbs. "Where is it...?"

"What are you looking for?" Charlie asked him, but he didn't reply, just mumbled under his breath.

Finally, he stopped, being careful not to touch the bubble, and bent down to peer into it. "What would have happened if we never found Nick..."

 _ **A/N:**_ **Heyo peeps! Like the way I sneaked this in to be canonically possible? XD So, if you haven't guessed...  
**

 _This chapter's What If is..._

 _What if Nick was never brought into the story? If you don't think Nick was ever important until MAYBE the very end, prepare to think differently, because this starts at a what should be very familiar scene.._

 _ **Webber's POV**_

 __My words of rage were still echoing when the beast turned slowly to face me, its white eyes empty of all emotion, its pointed horn gleaming with spider blood, a single wire draped over it. Fear had melted away into a fierce, pounding rage I could not describe. I had never felt this angry before. For just a second, the Ancient's Guardian's expression changed, but the change was so quick and it was back to being blank I could not quite pinpoint _what_ emotion it felt. I no longer cared. This beast killed my best friend. Erika was at my side, but I pushed her away despite her protests.

As it moved to charge again, I unsheathed my claws and dodged as it ran past me, raking my claws across its flank. It smashed into a wall, getting its horn stuck deep into the rock and it scrabbled unsuccessfully with its clawless feet. I flinched as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, Webber," Wilson hissed to me, a lit torch blazing in his hands. "Its too powerful. We've _lost_."

I flipped around to face him, blood dripping from my claws. "I haven't lost until I stop breathing," I snarled.

"What has gotten _into you_? Are you _mad_?"

"That monster killed my friend!" My voice rose to a wail, and I dropped to my knees.

"Webber," Wilson's voice turned soft. "It'll kill us too if we don't leave _right now!_ "

I risked a glance at my sister, who was staring in concern in the direction of the Guardian, breaking loose. She looked back at me, sadness glistening in her eyes. "Go!" She cried. With the sound of smashing stone, it broke free and scattered decently-sized rocks everywhere. I looked once more at WX's lifeless form, then, holding back tears, ran towards the entrance. Erika was watching me, still and silent. Once we had reached the safety of the labyrinth, I hid behind a pillar and tried to look around it.

 _Crunch!_ Went something in the echoing chamber, then everything was silent. The hissing spiders, the grumbling rock lobsters, the rampaging rhino, and worst of all, the encouragement from my sister.

Everything had gone quiet. A cold, terrified shiver went through my entire body. "Erika!" I cried, noticing my voice quivering with terror.

"Come _on!_ " Wilson barked, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the exit.

" _No!_ I can't leave! I need to see if Erika's alright!" I tried to yank away.

He flipped around, grabbing my shoulders and glaring me in the eye. "Webber. Do you want to risk our lives too?" He didn't wait for me to reply, just continued to take me towards the faint light filtering through the opening in the Ruins.

I gave up and started running, too. I had lost all my fight. I had given up. Wilson didn't stop until we had reached the surface. Fully ourself again, we collapsed, taking deep breaths.

The sky was bright and cheerful, and we covered our eyes with our arm. We weren't in the mood. "It's only us now," I murmured to Wilson.

"We'd better get back to camp. The hardest part is over."

We moved our arm away and just looked at him for a few seconds, then sighed and pushed ourself back to our feet. "Right. Got it."

The camp looked just as it always had. Popsicle was curled up as near to Pyrite as he could manage, Chester was lying down but not asleep, and Zerp floated quietly nearby. Upon our arrival, though, Popsicle jumped up, wagging his tail and trotted over to us, butting our hand with his nose. Then, he took a step back, his gaze darkening. He sensed something was wrong. We gently patted his head, then took a seat next to the fire pit, which Wilson was currently lighting.

We must have fallen asleep at some point, because before we knew it we were standing right outside the labyrinth of the Ancient Guardian. A steady rage was growing in our chest. We sprinted through the ancient walkway, listening to our footsteps echo strangely. When we reached the chamber, we stopped, panting. The Guardian was gone. In its place was two objects- two _very familiar faces._

" _What did I do to deserve this!?_ "I cried, yelling to the shadows that pressed around us. Nothing replied, and, tears streaming, we ran to my sister and best friend. WX had been impaled, Erika had been trampled. " _Why do you hate us!?_ "

We heard footsteps behind us, and we flipped around to see two more figures. One we recognized easily as our spider, the other was... less recognizable. She was tall and transparent. One of her arms ended in a black claw, and dark flames seemed to flicker from her. Her eyes were black with small white pupils, and she had black tiger-like markings on the sides of her face However, we were able to pinpoint the beast's name. _Charlie..._

The spider looked gleeful. "This is what happens when you weaken yourself by having 'friends'," he sneered. His gaze stopped on Erika. "Your sister?" He asked, his voice small. "It killed... your sister? _Leader!_ "

 _He feels loyalty to Erika!?_

 _Of course. He assisted in her death but... now that she was leader of the caves, he would've had some sort of loyalty towards her. I just didn't know surface spiders acknowledged her as a leader. Especially since he would've been a part of me by the time her father died..._

 _Odd._

Charlie looked... sympathetic. "I'm sorry it had to end like this..."

"What did I do, Charlie?" I asked quietly. "What did I do to lose my best friend _and_ sister, in one go?"

"The world is broken," she answered quietly. "It's not... your fault." She moved forward to gently put her hand on my shoulder. I clenched my teeth, flinching as tears fell down my cheeks.

"I'm not weak!" I shouted, wiping them away with my arm, but no matter what, I couldn't stop. "I'm not... weak..." I fell to my knees, gasping in shock as Charlie caught me in her arms in a careful embrace.

"You aren't weak, you're right. It's natural. What you're feeling is natural. You're grieving, it does not mean you're weak." She stroked my head with a shadowed hand. I sniffed, and looked back up at her. She did not look mean or evil like I had always imagined. She looked sad.

"Thank you, Charlie," I whimpered. "I... I always thought you were bad..."

"Child... that isn't me," she cooed. "We are more alike than you can imagine. We're trapped by our own stupid decisions, and we're paying for it."

"You didn't hurt someone you loved," I growled.

She stopped, holding her breath. "You're wrong," she whispered, her words chilling.

"You... what?"

"I hurt the one I loved more than you could ever imagined."

"What did you do?"

She stepped away from me. "He... he was taken by the shadows."

Shock like lightning shot through my whole body. "You and Maxwell were together!?"

"I should've stopped him," she went on, completely ignoring me. "I knew what was happening... the night before the whole... event... went down, I went to go find him. I was worried about him. He..." she grew quiet for a few more minutes, then took a deep breath. "He proposed to me the night before... and I was concerned, because he disappeared right afterwards."

"He _what_...?"

"I found his studies and I... fled. I spoke to him a little afterwards, but I never even tried to stop him from summoning Night-" she stopped. "What you're feeling right now... I feel every day."

My mind was whirling, momentarily taken off the tragedy of my sister and friend, as I tried to put together what Charlie was saying. "I-I'm sorry... I never realized..." I sniffed again, wiping my face one final time. "I'm being a baby. You've gone through so much and I break down at this."

"It's not easy." Her voice had lost its haunting chill and had returned to its wispy note. "It's not easy losing those you love. You just have to be strong."

"You're right, Charlie," I agreed, clenching my fists. "I just have to be _strong._ "


	4. Webber and Wilbur Survived

_**A/N:**_ **Looking back after writing this... I had waaaaay to much fun XD**

 _This chapter's What If is..._

 _What if Webber and Wilbur survived at the end of the story? Coming to a shocking 'Webber survives' instead of 'Webber dies', the two realizes that they are in for one heck of a ride. Wilson, being the only one of the group who had experience in this strange new world that does not have an outside commitment like Nick, finds himself in a boatload of trouble as he realizes that Webber, Wilbur, nor WX know anything about this world, with the first two being natives to the destroyed world and the latter living underground, but maybe it won't be as hard fitting in as he thought it would be..._

 _ **WX-78's POV**_

 __Warm sunlight was what woke me. My head was throbbing and I felt weak, weaker than normal. I blinked awake, but instantly regretted it as the light hit my optical sensors. It was brighter than I was used to. From what I gathered, it was dawn. The dewy grass disagreed with me greatly, but I tried to ignore it and figure out what that really weird noise was. It took me a moment to realize what it was, and it was buried deep inside my code, where the memories of my creator lay. _Birdsong_.

The others we found in the cages where also free and stirring around me. Wendy and Willow were side-by-side, screwing their eyes at the light. To the side of them was Wolfgang and Woodie, and so on, and it took me a moment to realize we were still in our groups. Wilson and Nick were sitting up to the left of me, but to my concern I realized both Wilbur and Webber, who were to my right side, were very still with fast, shallow breaths, and had still not woken up. Webber was in his Night Monster form, but for some reason, he no longer looked threatening when he was.

"YOU TWO, WAKE UP," I hissed, shaking them.

Webber blinked his eyes open first, shock alight in his eyes as he looked around and changing to look normal. Wilbur took a bit longer to stir, but eventually he was sitting up to, his tail kinked high above his back. "Is this it?" Webber asked, his voice rough as though it had not been used in awhile. Wilbur leaped to his feet, darting glances around at everything.

"What is that noise!?" He demanded.

"Birds," Wilson answered. "Why?"

He flicked his tail. "Birds sing _all the time_ here?"

I jumped as Webber pressed himself against my flank, shivering in fear. "What will I do?" He wailed. "I'm not a human!"

Wilbur glanced at him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"He has a good point," Nick said sheepishly. "I mean... no one would believe him if he explained what he was."

Sudden annoyance surged through me, and I flipped around and grabbed the boy's shoulders. "KID, YOU LISTEN HERE AND LISTEN CLOSELY. THIS IS NEW FOR BOTH OF US."

"All three of us!" Wilbur interjected.

"WE WILL STICK TOGETHER AS WE DID THESE PAST YEARS, OKAY? _RELAX_ ALREADY, WE'LL FIGURE THIS OUT TOGETHER, YOU GOT THAT?"

"I suppose... but... but what about Nightmare?"

" _WHAT ABOUT NIGHTMARE?_ "

"Webber... I saw it die. You don't have to worry about it anymo-" Wilbur was cut off as the child flipped around, his hand engulfed in blue fire.

"Haven't you learn? _Nightmare doesn't die!_ "

I tuned out and listened to the rest of the survivors, envying their certainty. They had lives they were getting back to.

"Well if you really wanted, Wixxy, you could _always_ go back to that science facility you were built in," Webber butted in, apparently listening to my thoughts even though _he knew very well how much I hated that_ -

"That what makes it fun and you know it. Now now, what's that place called... Aperture, ey?"

" _Aperture_?" Nick demanded. "You were built in _Aperture?_ Like, _the_ Aperture? Aperture Science?"

Webber snickered, and I glared at him. "YOU REALLY WENT THAT FAR."

"Hey Wilson!" Willow called, beckoning all of us over. "Get your group and come over here! We need to talk." The rest of them had already gathered.

"They used to date," Webber whispered to me with an evil grin, before hopping over to join them.

"What are we going to do now?" Woodie questioned, clutching his axe, Lucy, with a worried look.

"Aren't we going home?" Wendy asked, with a side-glance at Willow.

"Home..." Webber echoed.

"I HAVE NO HOME AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED."

"Hey!" Exclaimed one of the people, who I recognized as Woodlegs the pirate. "Ain't you that little mongrelthat locked me up!?" He was glaring at Wilbur, who looked almost pleased.

"Oooh, I thought I recognized you! Hiya buddy, you know, you'll be glad to know that you officially aren't the only one who's survived being thrown into a volcano!" He looked meaningfully at Webber.

"You were the ones who got that _thing_?" Warly demanded.

"I didn't have a good rep," the prime ape informed us 'helpfully'.

"Yeah, yeah I'd recognize him anywhere!"

"Hey! You watch it!" Webber barked, taking on his Nightmare form again and stepping in front of him with a terrifying snarl. "Wilbur's my friend! I saved your hineys the last thing you wanna do it tick me off, and the best way to do that is messing with _any_ of my friends! We're here to figure out what to do next, not argue about who did what to who!"

"THEY ALL HAVE HOMES TO RETURN TO," I murmured to him, and he deflated a little bit. "IT'S US THREE ALONE NOW-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, don't get ahead of yourself, WX," Wilson broke in. "You guys helped me survive these past years, and the most I can do is offer you a place to stay for awhile." He nodded at Webber, looking a bit conscious. "I'm sor-"

"I know," he cut in. "Just go on with what you were saying."

His eyes were clouded for a second before he shook it off. "Webber, you're lucky enough to only be nine-"

"Ten."

"So it will be easy for you to pass off as just being an adorable kid wearing a little costume."

"You want me to lie? About something like that?" He sniffed. "Back in my world, kids my age were seasoned fighters and hunters. We would _never_ do something as demeaning as wearing a _costume."_

Wilson glanced at me, amusement dancing in his gray eyes. "He gets more and more like you every day. But you're not wearing a costume," he argued, turning back to the spider. "you're just getting people to _think_ you are."

"Technically, it wouldn't be too weird to see a scientist, a robot, a talking monkey and humanoid spider together... if said scientist was a mad scientist," Willow pointed out.

"So my options are pretend I actually act my age or pretend I'm some failed experience." Webber grimaced. "Why can't I just tell them I was eaten when I was five?"

"They wouldn't believe you. Last thing we need is a bunch of _insane_ people appearing out of the blue in the woods."

"We're keeping the whole thing a secret?" Wigfrid asked, her voice shocked.

"WHY SHOULD WE?" I mumbled. "THEY SHOULD KNOW WHAT WE WENT THROUGH."

Webber groaned quietly, holding his head as though he had a headache. _Of course. Everyone thinking at once is probably getting to him._

 _"It'd be_ really _nice if you didn't join the fray too!"_ Webber hissed in my mind. I hated it when he did that. It was so hard to understand. _"Deal with it, Wixxy."_

The volume began to rise as each person put in their opinions. Webber looked more and more uncomfortable before finally snapping. **"** _ **Enough**_ **!"** He roared. "In case you guys didn't know, _I can read your minds._ So _shut them up_ because you guys are giving me a _headache_!"

Wilson shot me a glance. "Hey, we'd better get going then... you four coming?"

"I'll go back to the Revolution," Nick replied. "Cloud's been trying to take the leadership for for _ever_." His voice dropped. "I'm not going to forget these years, got it? We will see each other again." He returned to normal speaking volume. "G'bye everyone."

To my surprise, in a rare gesture of physical affection from the spider, especially right after that outburst, he ran to the blue-eyed warrior and hugged him, purring. "I'll miss you, Nick. You've been a good companion."

Nick looked slightly dazed and out-of-place, but laughed nervously as Webber stepped back. "Thanks... it's been awhile." He squinted at the sun. "Good luck guys, especially you three. No past experiences huh! It'll be hard for awhile."

"I'll help 'em," Wilson assured him. "They'll be fine."

Nick smiled and nodded once, then took off.

"Should we all stay together or split up?" Willow asked once he had left, obvious concern and confusion in her voice. She apparently never thought she was going to escape, so never planned ahead.

"I-I think we should stay with our groups," Webber stammered. "I-I mean... those of us who don't _have_ a home..." he trailed off, as though realizing only he and Wendy were too young to have a home of their own.

"I don't have a home anymore," Wendy murmured, clasping her hands around a beautiful red flower. "My daddy is gone now..."

Willow and Wilson exchanged a look that I could not decipher.

"Those of us who have homes go home... those of us who don't stay with someone of their group?" Walani suggested.

 _It's a good thing Wilson kind of shoved that book in our faces... especially since I wasn't going to do anything with it. I would be_ very _confused about who these people are._

The sun was still slowly climbing when we split up. I wondered for a second why Wilson was suddenly showing such kindness towards the three of us when he had been an overall jerk for the past few... _months? Weeks?_

Suddenly, Webber and Wilbur stopped at the same time, Webber's whiskers twitching and Wilbur's tail stiffening. "I hear something," Webber announced quietly.

Wilbur suddenly shot off without a word.

"GET BACK HERE! ARE YOU _TRYING_ TO GET YOURSE-" I cut myself off as I broke through the tree cover of the forest. Webber stepped out next to me but as soon as the light touched him he shrunk back with a hiss. We were perched on top of a hill, the forest right behind me. Ahead, the land gently sloped down and beyond that...

Wilson pushed his way through the undergrowth, not seeing the land ahead of him and instead turning back to look at Webber. "Come on. The light's different here. It won't hurt you."

 _How's the light different? I'm not going to deny, it definitely feels... softer? But shouldn't whatever's in his bloodstream that causes him to burn be affected by_ all _kinds of light?_

 _"Nightmare fuel."_

 _...What?_

 _"Nightmare fuel is what hurts me in the light."_

He took a deep breath then jumped into the sunlight, stiffening as though expecting himself to blister. He relaxed once he noticed that his skin was still unharmed. He froze, his mouth agape. "Is that a... town?" He whispered.

Wilson nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"That's a lot of people... more than I've ever seen." I jerked my head up to see that Wilbur was perched up on a branch above our heads. "Wilson, are you sure about this?"

"THIS DOES NOT SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA... TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST, I'VE SEEN SUCH A LACK OF HUMANS MY... WELL, ENTIRE LIFE, I WOULD MOST LIKELY BE MORE COMFORTABLE IN THE _WOODS_."

Webber puffed his chest out. "I've been through worse than a few other people... It's just..." He deflated slightly. "The last time I saw more than you guys... and the other survivors, of course... they... they hurt me." He parted the fur around his shoulder to reveal a deep, ragged scar, then parted the fur of his side to show a circular scar, then took a few steps towards me, just close enough for his whiskers to brush against me.

 _Are you... okay?_

 _"I'm scared. Wilbur's really worried too. You are too, I can tell."_ He clenched his fists and scrunched his eyes closed. _"I just want to go home."_

"I guess I can get you guys settled before trying to show you the town?" Wilson suggested lightly, as though he could sense the uneasiness the rest of us were feeling.

"You live around here?" Wilbur asked, uncomfortably twitching his tail.

"To be honest, I'm pretty sure we all live around here..." His gray eyes were glazed as though remembering everything before our adventure. "I think I've met _most_ of them before the whole... event."

"Especially Willow," Webber teased.

"We used to help Jack Carter- oh, Maxwell's brother- take care of his girls, Wendy and Abigail when he wasn't around..." He sighed heavily. "Abigail was killed in a train wreck, though."

"Abigail... was that... the little girl who was standing next to Wendy?" Webber asked tentatively.

"You could _see_ her?" Wilson asked, shocked, and the spider nodded. "I guess she's still protecting Wendy even today..."

"BY THE WAY, I'M COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH STAYING OUTSIDE," I told him, trying to get that weird dazed look out of his eyes.

"Same with us," Wilbur added. "He said he'd actually prefer to be outside... we're all used to it, I guess."

"Really?" The faraway look snapped out of his gaze. "You _want_ to?"

Webber nodded furiously.

He laughed lightly. "Okay, come on. It's this way." He started leading the way to the side, right on the outskirts of the woods. Eventually, a trail came into view, and when it did, Wilson turned to look at us. "So... there is a catch... You see, I built Maxwell's Door in my basement. It's most likely _still_ there..." Webber looked like he was about to say something, but he cut him off. "Don't even think about trying to make it work again."

"I wasn't _going_ to," he huffed.

Wilson did not reply, but judging by the look on both his and Webber's faces he hit the spot.

After a bit of walking up the trail, I realized that Webber was starting to slow down. I shot a glance at Wilson, who seemed too preoccupied with walking to notice, and dropped back myself.

"WHAT'S WRONG?"

"I'm just not sure about this," he said uneasily. Wilbur was beside him, looking worried himself. "I've spent half of my life trying to stay away from other people... I heard others, you know. Before we went through Maxwell's Door? I knew there were others, but I purposely kept away... Now I'm about to throw myself right into society- a society that knows nothing about where I come from and nothing about what I had to deal with."

"I was native too," Wilbur pointed out. "This is a first for me as well."

"You don't understand!" He protested, waving his hand as blue fire climbed over it. "I'm a _demon spider human hybrid._ "

"REMEMBER WHAT I SAID? THIS IS UNUSUAL FOR ALL OF US... AFTER I WAS BUILT, I SPENT THREE FULL YEARS OF TERROR. AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT IN CASE I SAID SOMETHING WRONG. AFRAID TO DO ANYTHING IN CASE I DID SOMETHING WRONG. YOU AREN'T THE ONLY ONE TO LIFE LIKE THAT."

"I didn't have aaaaaannnnny problems with that! Everyone loved me. Except for those who hated me, and they... well, let's just say they didn't last long." Wilbur rubbed his front paws together with an evil smirk.

"AND REMEMBER, YOU AREN'T ALONE ANYMORE. WE HAVE EACH OTHER. I COULD DO WITHOUT THE MONKEY THOUGH."

He snickered, and I wondered in frustration what they were saying to each other. What I wouldn't give for powers like Webber's!

"WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER. NOW COME ON." I looked up, shock shooting through me as I realized that the sun was still hardly above the horizon. _What a weirdly long day... Not even the world before Charlie's Domain had this much sunlight._

By the time we reached the top of the trail, Wilson had apparently noticed our absence and was waiting. He nodded once as though he understood. "I can't believe I'm finally home," he muttered under his breath.

Of course, I could tell that none of us had the intention to go _inside_ the small cabin that he apparently called home. The three of us merely wanted to see it, then tackle the rest of the world. The kid was more quiet than usual, but I could only imagine what he might be thinking or saying to Wilbur, and the kind of thoughts he was catching that was straying through our heads. The very second Wilson disappeared inside the creaky old house I flipped around to face the other two. "WHAT ARE WE DOING?"

"I kinda just wanted to get rid of Wilson so we could explore on our own," the spider admitted quietly.

"YOU'RE WANTING TO GO TO _TOWN_?"

"I don't know about you, _Wixxy_ , but I'd rather find out things on my own than have someone show me anything," Wilbur grinned as I adopted a look of frustration at the nickname I was hoping that only Webber would use. _It's so much easier to deal with one annoying creature calling me a nickname than two._

 _"Aawwwww, you know you_ looooooove _it_."

 _You've spent way too much time around Wilbur._

 _"More like in his head. If I tried to listen to your thoughts as much as I do his I'd be just as annoyed about everything as you are."_ Outwardly, Webber smirked at me, showing the ability to jump between emotions as quickly as Wilbur could.

We traced our steps back to where the woods thinned out. Like before, we sort of froze up at the sight of it. Wilbur broke the trance by flinging himself forward with a spiderlike hiss. Webber's eyes widened then he ran after him. I was slower to descend, taking my time examining everything. _It was always either sunny or cloudy... but what is_ with _those clouds?_ The unusually bright blue sky was dotted with light cotton balls of fluff that were hardly recognizable as clouds. Reaching the outskirts, I wondered again how they would react to us. _Especially the other two... they might think that Wilbur is some sort of wild animal and I don't even_ wanna _know what they'd think Webber is._ And of course, I highly doubted many robots were wandering the streets casually. It'd be even weirder to find us three together.

"Maybe we should split up," Webber suggested, echoing my thoughts. No one argued.

I realized that, after searching my data banks for _any_ clue as to what things were from GlaDOS's memories, it was quite a small town. It took me a moment to find any sort of identification as to what it was called, so I walked the outskirts until I found a small road with a sign.

"Welcome to GoldCrest! Population: 2,549"

At first, I flinched at the number, but after a bit of searching I realized it was quite small. _GoldCrest... hmm..._ I braced myself, then walked across the city limits. Apparently, it was too early for many people to be out, because the streets were near empty. _These people must be lazy, sleeping in so late!_ After what must have been several hours of just me wandering aimlessly, I started to hear the happy laughter of kids at play. I stopped and blinked. Ahead of me was a shiny chain-link fence, and beyond that was what must have been twenty kids jumping, screaming, and kicking around balls. It was uncomfortable being near so many people, even though I was convinced none of them saw me. Forcing my fear down, I sauntered to the fence and just kind of watched them for awhile.

"Excuse me, sir, what are you doing?" I flinched and stiffened, turning slowly to see who had spoken to me. I could only assume it was one of the children's mother. She was taller than me with brightly colored clothes. She flinched too upon seeing my face. "Oh-"

 _How in the_ world _do I talk to total strangers?_

 _Of course. Like I talk to the others._

"WHAT ARE _YOU_ DOING?" I countered. I personally did not care whether or not she was scared of me, nor did I care that she was still staring at my face.

"I-I was just..."

 _Haha, I made her as uncomfortable as I am._ I pointed to what I assumed was the schoolyard. "I WAS JUST WATCHING."

"What are you doing watching a bunch of little kids?" She seemed to get her voice back, and I held back a grin.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING LOOKING AT ME LIKE I'M AN IDIOT?" I motioned to myself. "I'M A ROBOT, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE WONDERING."

"Very cute," her voice turned a note lower.

 _Ah, she thinks I'm in a costume. Haha, fool._

"LOOK, I'M NOT GOING TO ARGUE WITH YOU IF YOU ARE JUST GOING TO BE COMPLETELY IGNORANT TO WHAT IS PLAINLY IN FRONT OF YOU. I WOULDN'T _WANT_ TO BE A HUMAN."

 _If I'm already having trouble, imagine how oddly people are treating Webber and Wilbur!_

 _ **Webber's POV**_

 __ _I want people to shut up now. Can everyone please shut up now?_ _Stop_ looking at me!

I had been walking the streets for what felt like _thirty minutes_ and I already had three people comment on how adorable I looked, four asking where my parents were, and a _heck of a lot more_ thinking about how irresponsible my parents were for letting me roam the streets by myself. And I was _sick of it_. _I am not cute I am a seasoned fighter and a demon that could destroy this stupid town with a wave of my_ hand. Of course, I never said any of this out loud, and only politely thanked those who said my costume was adorable and told those who asked where my parents were that I was given permission to roam. I wasn't mean, only thought about how much I wished people would just start ignoring me. _WX is so lucky they have robots here! He's probably not getting totally fussed over like he's a little kid!_

Whiskers twitching in frustration, I stopped under a small tree to let myself think. Sometimes, it was nice just to relax and listen to the minds of people all around me. Everywhere, people's minds were running wild with thoughts about 'being late' and 'being too tired to wake up'. I blinked at the sky. The sun was about halfway to the middle. _Days last so long here!_ People here must be incredibly lazy if they were _still_ asleep. I yelped as someone suddenly yanked on my whiskers. I flipped around to face them, feeling the familiar demon ready to strike back should this person be a threat. It was what looked like a very stuck-up woman, dressed all in black and straight black hair. "What is this? A child playing hooky?"

 _Hooky?_ Her mind was a pit of cold rage, but her eyes were calm.

"Did you really think hiding your face would keep me from recognizing you, James?"

 _...what..._

"...My name is Tyler..."

She snorted. "I'm calling your parents, _right now._ " She pulled out a weird rectangular object, about half an inch thick, and tapped on it like crazy.

 _I'm really getting in trouble for this?_

Really!?

 _Better luck next time I guess._

 _ **A/N:**_ **Okay, I'd better stop it here before this becomes a full-fledged story XD. Here's the dealio, it may not seem bad here, but in the future... well, you should be glad I killed Webber at the end of WTWHTO. Think of it this way... Spider's dead, he's not. Spider doesn't grow anymore, he does.**

 **Yeah, not so cute now, ey? You see what I'm getting at here?**

 **Anyway, see y'all next time. Have a nice day~**


	5. Charlie Never Fought Webber's Spider

_**A/N:**_ **And here we have a special request from my good friend Toxaotic!**

 _This chapter's What If..._

 _What if Charlie did not help Webber when his spider got the life giving amulet. After making the promise to kill all of his friends (isn't he nice?) he put the life giving amulet on, and watched in glee as the last bit of his human half was destroyed forever. Without a conscience to hold him back anymore, he's free to think and do whatever he wants... mostly fulfill his promise to his human half..._

 _ **WX-78's POV**_

Beside me, I heard Wilbur's panicked, shallow breaths. He was quivering in fear, but he strained to hide it. He inched forward and gently nuzzled Webber's still form. "Please get up... I can't lose you... I just can't." I noticed a distinct lack of Wilson, but I no longer felt offset by his aloofness to the whole matter. A whimper worked its way out of Wilbur's throat as his friend's movements grew weaker.

Then they stopped entirely.

And the whole world seemed to hold its breath as it waited.

But they didn't start up again.

This seemed to break the ape entirely as he turned sharply away, tears streaming down his face, before just giving up and fleeing entirely. Instead of grief, however, I felt another type of very powerful emotion.

Pure rage.

I turned away to where Nick was standing. His blue eyes were round pools of shock and horror and he gripped his sword almost unconsciously. I jumped as I heard a snarl behind me. Expecting some sort of beast that had come smelling the scent of death- _while his body is still warm the nerve!_ \- I grabbed the nearest weapon and flipped around to confront it.

It was something entirely different.

Webber- the one I had just watched die- was slowly beginning to rise. His head was down so his expression was unreadable, but the way he moved... it was almost unnaturally smooth. Shock at how he could just rise from the dead like that battled with the unsettling feeling I had just looking at him again. Then he looked up.

His eyes.

They looked the same on the outside, but not the inside. The Webber I knew his eyes always burned with determination and strength. Despite his young age and size, he looked fierce yet still retained a humanoid appearance.

Not anymore.

I didn't know who's eyes they were, but they were not my friend's. They were filled with hatred and malice. He had his teeth bared much like that of a normal spider, and the fur on his shoulders were standing up. He flashed me a sort of demonic grin, but staggered and fell onto his side before he could move. He let out a soft noise before pushing himself to a sitting position instead of a standing one.

"ARE YOU OKAY?" I found myself asking before I could stop myself.

"Never been better," he croaked. Heck, he _sounded_ different. I had always noted- if not consciously- that he had an underlying, higher pitched voice of a little kid. That was completely gone. It was as though everything that made him my friend had been ripped out of him to be replaced with this husk that emanated hatred.

"How are you feeling?" Nick asked tentatively. He must have noticed the sudden mood switch too.

"Never been better," he repeated. "Tired..."

"Webber! You're alive!" I heard Wilbur cry as he burst out of the brush, effectively appearing out of nowhere to crush the newly awakened spider in a bear-hug.

He was promptly met with a clawing to the chest and getting flung away. Wilbur scrabbled to his paws, shock and millions of layers of hurt in his eyes. Webber tried again to stand, succeeding this time, albeit on wobbly feet. Wilbur took a few steps forward to help him then caught himself. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" I demanded. He hardly seemed to notice that I was in fact alive. He seemed more interested in examining every movement he made as though each one was special in its own way.

"Nothing is _wrong_ ," he insisted.

He closed his malice-filled eyes for a moment as though trying to draw strength. Once he finally managed to right himself, he opened them again and examined each of us thoroughly. His eyes narrowed when they reached me. "Why are you still alive?" He growled to me.

"WHY ARE _YOU_ STILL ALIVE!?" I shot back instantly.

"Don't try anger against me, robot." He tipped his chin up. "It won't work."

I was incredibly close to ending him again right then. Nick's hand shot out and grabbed my arm before I could even attack him. "Don't think about it," he warned.

"I WAS JUST GONNA BACKHAND HIM A BIT," I mumbled. "AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO REALLY THINKS HE DESERVES A BACKHAND RIGHT NOW?"

"WX, stop trying to antagonize him."

I was about to say something but almost as soon as I opened my mouth I was bowled over by something that was less than half my weight. Surprise had caught me off guard, but now Webber- who should still be very weak- had managed to pin me down with a snarl just inches away from my face. "You wanna say that again?"

I pushed him off and kicked him in the gut as hard as I could from on my side- which was probably a risky move considering the fact that he almost died from a wound in the very place just minutes before.

"I said you needed to stop antagonizing him," Nick pointed out.

"AND I SAID I WANTED TO BACKHAND HIM. WE BOTH STATED SIMPLE FACTS."

Nick sighed heavily, shaking his head. Webber shook his head a few times, probably trying to figure out how to get me back somehow. He made a noise of frustration deep in his throat. "If you think you're so powerful, why don't you _kill_ me?" Suddenly, his voice took on an entire new note. "I've proven to be stronger than your friend." He rose to all fours instead of standing normally. He looked like a legitimate wild animal. "Do _you_ think you could be so strong?" He taunted.

I rolled onto my hands and knees to stand up easier, looking down on the spider. "GET UP," I growled. Instead, he launched forward and knocked my feet out from under me...

But he didn't stop at me.

He ran past me and into Wilson, who had just emerged into the area as soon as Webber ran towards me. "IT'S NOT HIM," I whispered.

Wilbur looked at me, slightly alarmed. "What?"

"THAT'S NOT HIM!" I sprinted towards the two as fast as I possibly could, but even if it wasn't Webber anymore he was still faster than me.

Webber's fangs were inches away from Wilson's exposed throat by the time I finally got there. I managed to pry him away, but as soon as I did he leaped at me. Instead of going for the throat or anything that an organic would normally do, he seemed to try and make himself as heavy as possible on my chest and keep me pinned for as long as possible. He casually stuck one of his claws into one of the screws that kept my chest together. "I've always wondered what would happen," he murmured absently, ignoring all pain and resistance to twist it until it rolled down into the dirt. How in the world his claws were strong enough to do so were beyond me. I struggled to free myself, trying to throw him off, but he completely blew me off. Acting as though the task was as simple as taking the lid off of a carton of milk, he began to unscrew me.

If I had to be honest, it was definitely not a way I thought I could die. I didn't think it was possible to be unscrewed at all, but four... five... six... severed screws fell onto the ground. I was sure it had to have been pure shock that kept my companions rooted to the spots, but it still stung to see their lack of protest to the unnecessarily long torture. Suddenly, Wilbur sprung into action and cannoned into his friend's side. I could hear the breath being driven out of the young spider's lungs as he was flung off of me. They hit the ground rolling. I had heard that they fought before, but it was unsettling seeing it myself. They fought with tooth and claw- not with any sort of weapon.

Despite his sudden and unusual bought of strength, Wilbur proved the stronger of the two and managed to pin him down. I could see blood staining both of their pelts red, but Webber certainly seemed to have to worse bit of it. Most of the damage had been done to his face- one of his 'whiskers' look almost to the point of being ripped off with a single tug. He was still alive though. His chest moved up and down quickly as he panted after the skirmish, but even he seemed to know he had lost. He wasn't going to lose soundly though. Despite the fact he should have been incredibly weak, he still had his strength.

"Fine," he spat. "Fine. I got my revenge."

I blinked. Revenge? Before I could think much harder on the subject, a sharp pain in my chest reminded me how damaged I was as well. I saw a lifetime of sorrow in Wilbur's eyes, and for a second-just for a split second- I saw in in Webber's too.

I might have just been my imagination, but I could've sworn they were looking at each other like they've seen this before. Wilbur shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head slowly and whispering something I couldn't pick up. His eyes still closed, he made a single laceration down his enemy's throat.

As Webber noticed what Wilbur had done and was released, he raised one hand to touch the wound. He closed his eyes as well, a half-grin on his face before falling back.

His eyes were normal again.

And these were the eyes that I saw fog over.

And these were the eyes that were glazed over with death.

At the claws of his own best friend.


	6. Webber Took the Nightmare Throne

_**A/N:**_ **To be honest, I've been wracking my brain for an AU about Wilson... but it's just SOOOO hard XD It seems that Webber and Wix- I mean WX have the most tedious decisions... but hey, here's a Nick decision... I mean... it still has to mostly do with Webber... but I digress XD By the way, I am way open to suggestions... pretty much anything, except heavy romance is where I draw the line XD**

 _This chapter's What If is..._

 _What if Webber took the Nightmare Throne? Now it is his duty to free the survivors, but more importantly, be a King to this destroyed land. There is one, very stubborn problem though..._

 _ **Wilbur's POV**_

I felt like I should do something, but another part of me knew I couldn't. I was forced to sit and watch as Webber, holding the Divining Rod, forced open the lock. The rod fit perfectly. The Throne disappeared beneath Maxwell, causing him to fall to the ground. He stood up almost instantly, albeit wobbly on his feet, and rejoiced for a second at being free. I closed my paws tightly over my ears and shut my eyes, hoping to block out what I know would happen next. I couldn't have such luck, though. His screams of terror and agony pierced my ears as he watched his own skin turn to dust around him, and even his very bones became grains of powder. Then they stopped, and I knew the Nightmare Captor was dead. Webber took a few cautious steps back, Nightmare beside him grinning wickedly. Dark hands rose out of the ground around the spider, and he yelped as they grabbed a hold of his arms and legs, then dragged him down into the ground with him. I was paralyzed with shock. A few paces away, where the Nightmare Throne once stood, the hands reappeared, then morphed around him to appear back as the Throne. The entire time, Webber was trying to fight them off.

They weren't done though, because even after the Throne reappeared darkness remained around him in a bubble. When said bubble burst it caused everyone it touched to disappear- I really hoped it wasn't killing them but instead taking them home- until I was alone with the new King. He had his head down, but wasn't fighting anymore as though the process had taken its toll on the child. The only differences appearance-wise I could make out were the way the fur around his cheeks had been pointed slightly up, and there was now a blood red hourglass-like shape on his chest. He looked nothing short of regal, don't get me wrong, but not as much about him was changed as I had feared. I said nothing until he finally got the strength to look back up at me. He was smiling. Nightmare was still at his side, of course, but now it held a sort of respect towards his vessel and was bowing slightly to him.

Then Webber saw me, and frowned. "Why are you still here?" He whispered. He didn't sound much different either.

I curled my tail tightly around my paws. "Because I'm already home," I told him simply.

He jerked his head to the side to glare at something I could not see. "You lied!" He barked ."You said-"

" _I chose to be here!_ " I interrupted.

He glared at the invisible person for a second before snapping his gaze to me. "Why would you _choose_ to stay here?"

"Well..." In the corner of my eye, I spotted Nightmare take a threatening step towards me. It was obviously ready to defend its new master. "You can't be the Captor _and_ the Servant at the same time."

He straightened, a snarl coming to his face as the shadow-y restraints pulled at his wrists. "You are suggesting that I give _you_ the burden that I've held for weeks now? Are you _insane!?_ I can hardly keep a hold of it.."

"Nightmare listens to the Captor, right?"

The demon narrowed its eyes as though it was tracing my train of thought.

"I believe so..."

"Can't you just tell it to behave?"

It lunged forward, teeth bared, shadow claw extending from his hand. **"I c͞an't bé controlle̴d-͝"̨**

" _Nightmare_ ," Webber snapped. "He is right. I am your master now." It looked angry at me, but didn't move to attack me again. "I can't- I mean- I won't-"

"You can't be your own master?"

"I can't just _give_ my powers up!" He finally managed to sputter. "They are a part of me."

"Well at least let me help!"

He looked down, sighing. "Don't make me do this to you, Wilbur. Let me help you... I can bring you back to your home. I can make you respected... I can get Tiger Lily to stop attacking you... I can... I can... I can do..."

"You can do anything."

"I can do... anything.. but..."

"You can't make me do anything. I'll gladly do a lot for you We- K-King..."

"Don't call me that." He grimaced. "I'll take Webs over that. Makes me feel like Maxwell now. Well..." He raised his hands to show where the chains met his wrists. "I guess I am like Maxwell now."

"I'll do a lot for you," I continued. "Just don't make me go back... it's just... memories. It's not like you guys are my first group. I had another group... Maxwell made me do some horrible things though. I can trust that you won't do the same. You will be a great King, but just let me help! I have gotten a glimpse of the Captor unlike you! You are just used to being the Servant!"

"That's why I can't let you take it!" He shot back. Tears had begun to form in the new King's eyes. "Nightmare might hurt you! And... and I can't be responsible for you getting hurt again..." His voice lowered to barely a whisper. "I can't be responsible... please just... go home."

I stubbornly sat and refused to budge. "I want to help you."

"And I want to be with my family again! Life is full of disappointments! Get over it! Go. _Home_."

"No."

"That's it? _No!?_ "

"Yep."

He sighed. "You really refuse to do this one thing for me?"

"I said a lot of things. Not anything. This is that exception."

"You want to help me?"

"Yesssss."

"Go home."

"Haha. Nope." I grinned. "I can do this _all_ day _King Webs._ I'm not going home. I'm hanging out with you. Come on... it'd be a torture to be sent back to the archipelago. Send me back to the fourth world! There we go! I'm still near your Throne Room and I'm not breathing over your neck. Closest you're gonna get to a compromise, by the way."

"Finally," he breathed. "Before I send you back, though, I'd like to show you something."

"Sounds good to me."

I closed my eyes and lifted my chin, knowing exactly what to expect. Suddenly, marble beneath me turned into frost-covered grass. I recognized the feeling of this world... I recognized the _scent even._

 _Charlie's old domain._

I opened my eyes to something entirely new though. Webber stood beside me, though I knew it would be his spiritual form instead of actually him. What was strange though was the one factor that made this world different from most. The King let out a satisfied noise as sunlight touched his form, but did not burn as it used to as nightmare fuel could not taint the soul to weakness of light, then waved his hands towards the newly illuminated landscape.

It was even more beautiful than it had been in the cover of darkness.

The sun glittered off of every drop of frost, making the entire land sparkle. The sky was a pale pink mixed with tallbird-egg blue towards the western side, with the sun just rising opposite to it. Birds that had been silenced by the suffocating blanket of endless night began to sing in joy of the land's first sunrise.

"So..."

He turned to me, the sun glinting off of his fangs as he grinned. "You like it?"

"So... this is the kind of King you'll be.. huh?"

His grin faltered slightly. "You don't like it?"

"I meant that as a good thing, genius. I mean you aren't going to keep an entire world in eternal darkness just because you're a jerk."

"He was doing it for Charlie," he replied semi-defensively. "Charlie couldn't be in the light... what else could she do?"

"She could hang out in the caves all day. Besides. This wasn't for her... this was Maxwell's playground. But this... now?" I sighed. "Webber, it's _gorgeous_. This is why I'm not worried about you. I know you'll try your best. You did very well in taking care of Nightmare- not even Charlie could fight it off as long as you did! You are truly something special."

"Thanks," he murmured sheepishly. "But truthfully... all I did was bring light to this desolate place. I died here. I couldn't let this place remain in shadow forever... what would that say about respect for my own life?" He smiled again, though less proud, more wistfully. "And I wish I was something special. I'm just a dummy who got myself eaten by a spider when I was five, then apparently somehow got tangled up in some sort of prophecy." He let out a tortured huff. "I mean... I couldn't even take care of my-" He cut himself off. "My.. oh my God... Okay! Enough staring in wonder at a sunrise! Back to our base world!" He did a similar thing he did the first time, except now I was standing in something that was not familiar at all. His eyes lit up in barely suppressed excitement though.

He crossed the small clearing in a rush, but I followed slower. The place certainly looked _lived_ in. A pile of firewood over there... a firepit over there... then it hit me. _This must be their old base... before I tagged along. I never really thought about how I never got to see where they lived._ The most unsettling part was the pile of odd trophies at one corner of the clearing. A bluish shard, a tuft of dusty fur being held down by a full-sized monster's eyeball.

"Come on!" Webber urged, beckoning me towards him. He bounded through the forest. The air was heavy with the smell of melting water. Must be this 'spring' he was talking about. He kept moving in a rush until he reached an oddly shaped hill _filled_ with holes. He leaped into one without hesitation. "Erika!" He yelled once I leaped down to join him. "Erika! Where are you?"

One of the shadows detached itself, but it was definitely not a spider of any sort. It was an... ice hound? Ribs showed beneath its fur, but it was not snarling. Its eyes were alight with joy. "Can it be?" The hound asked in its kind's tongue. Webber saw it too, because his eyes lit up instantly as well. "Master!" He cried joyfully, pouncing at the King- knocking him down- then covered his face with licks. "Where have you been!? I've been worried sick about you!" He barked, nuzzling the boy's legs as he struggled to stand up.

"He asked where you've been, then said he's been worried sick about you," I helpfully told Webber.

"I've been trying to help my friends," he told his hound, not doubting my word for a second. "I'm back now... I missed you so much, Pop. The rain was so horrible!"

I happily translated for the ice hound. "I missed you too! Erika.. Erika was so worried too.. she thought something horrible happened to you!" He didn't seem to care that a prime ape could translate so easily. "You weren't the same after... _it_ died. But you are back now... you are alive... I thought I failed you!"

"Wilbur!" Webber laughed as his hound began licking him again. "You never told me you could speak hound!"

"I never told you I could speak a lot of languages," I replied mischievously before telling him what Popsicle had said.

"Do you know where Erika is?"

There was no need to ask the question though, because as soon as he finished the sentence a ball of white fur cannoned into his side, purring wildly. "Your safe!" She breathed.

"You've been watching me!" Popsicle protested, but it fell on deaf ears.

"I thought something happened to you..." Erika's voice broke off though as she saw the marking on the King's chest. She ran her claws over the newly created marking. "What is this?"

"It's a symbol," he replied proudly. "It means that you may be Queen of the Caves, but your brother is _literally_ King of the World which means I beat you."

She took a few steps back, her gaze dark. "You... you took the Throne." She said it more like a statement than a question, but Webber answered it anyway.

"Yes."

"And... you're our King..."

"Yes... but you are not allowed to call me that..."

"I've been calling him King Webs, and he doesn't protest to that," I told her helpfully.

"I would but I've just learned that if I tell you not to call me something, you'll either call me it more or you'll find something worse."

"Like King Webbsey?" I suggested, grinning.

"Yes, something like that- _can_ we just get back to the subject already? Yes, _sis_ , I took the Throne, saved over ten people, and got a new monkey pet. Have you done anything super special lately?"

"I found you again," she purred. "To be honest, that's all that really matters to me right now."


	7. King Webber Part 2

_**A/N**_ **: Apologies for not doing a** _ **new**_ **AU, but I frigging love this one for unknown reasons...**

 **So King Webber Part 2! =D**

 _ **Wilbur's POV**_

 __"I foresee this will not end well."

Webber shot me a glare from the corner of his eyes. "I didn't ask you. You're only here-"

"because I am your best friend and _Royal Adviser_." I grinned at him.

"No, because I personally don't want to do this alone." His voice wavered a bit, his infinite loneliness breaking through. He shook his head furiously as if to clear it. "Do you think they'll remember me?"

"If not it won't seem too odd for you to randomly show up," I offered. "After all, you _are_ their new king."

His whiskers twitched. "I suppose. How's the new gift going?"

"As I said, I foresee this will not end well." I laughed as he shoved me.

"I'm serious!"

"There is about a million ways I see this could end." I curled my tail to my side. Apparently, with his new position, he had a few new powers to toy with, one of them including foresight, which, like the Gift of Sight, he shared with me. Which made it quite fun for both of us. "Maybe you should have brought your bodyguard."

He paused for a second, perhaps looking into what I was talking about. "Nightmare would have made this worse." Finally, he rose to his feet as the darkness of night began to lift. "Are... are you ready?" Judging by the lost tone of his voice, though, he was not speaking to me.

"Hey... maybe we should save this for a later time. When you have gotten used to everything-" I cut myself off as he was already shaking his head.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for years, Wilbur," he sighed. "I just can't believe that this can be real. All of my hopes and dreams of seeing my family again... I had almost given them up."

"Ooooh, I see another thing you're looking forward to." I grimaced. "I don't like her. She looks at me like I'm a pet. And I don't like the way she talks to you."

"Shut up! I'm not looking forward so it'd be _great_ if you wouldn't also."

"But what about that hunter in our near future. Should I be concerned about that?"

"I'll tell him not to shoot you. Stop fretting! You are standing next to the _Nightmare Captor_ and _Nightmare Servant._ There is _literally_ nothing that can hurt me. And it'll be quick. I'll just... tell them who I am and that I'm okay and... stuff..."

"I see another way that ends ba-" 

"I said _stop that!_ Come on, let's go..." He ran his fingers through his fur. "Do I look alright?"

" _Now_ who's fretting?"

"I'm just asking! I really need to find a way to get you to stop being so frustrating."

"Nope. I see how you'll go about that. I don't like that either. For your information, I have never _liked_ anyone like that, and I never will so don't even try to play matchmaker."

He scowled at me for a few seconds before finally breaking down into laughter. "Alright, you win. Let's actually go now." He started forward before I could even try to find ways to stall further. He wasn't moving very fast, though, as though he were about to face something worse than the Nightmare Throne. _Well, that might be the case,_ I realized. _This must be super stressful for him._

 _"You have_ no _idea."_ Even the boy's inner voice was quivering.

 _Are you okay?_

 _"I'm fine."_ Outwardly, he sighed and lowered his gaze. I had a feeling that meant Webber was not up for any more of this conversation, so I let my mind wander ahead. _I hope it's clearer when we get back to the mainland. Right now I can only see bits and pieces._

There were a few more minutes of silence before I couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you so... hesitant? Didn't your family- you know- actually _like_ you?"

"Well..." He stopped walking. "They... _did_... I'm just... you know..." He spread his arms as though to indicate his entire being. "Not... how they remember me."

"Didn't you see them in a dream? Don't they know that this is you now?"

"I'm pretty sure they saw _me_ me not... _this_ me." He shrugged helplessly.

"Simple solution. I act all special and stuff and inform them that you are their new king. You can drop the 'Oh by the way I'm also your son' bomb later in the conversation."

"Oh I couldn't do that," he insisted, beginning to walk again at a faster pace. "I just can't. It would feel like I'm lying. And... I just want to..." he lowered his gaze, but not before I noticed the way he was tearing up. "I just want to talk to them again and... and to hear they love me."

"Oh, Webber..."

"I feel bad for you... you never had a family."

I cringed slightly but buried thoughts before he could see them.

"You never knew what it was like to truly be cared about and loved... did you?" He gave me a sad smile. "I've been inside your mind... I know how much you hated your family. And yet... somehow you turned out better than I did."

"I'd really like to know your reasoning behind I am better than you are. I committed genocide without shedding a tear; I murdered my entire old group just because."

"Oh... that's not completely true is it, though? There was something else but... sometimes I wonder if you even remember. No, I don't know either," he added at my glare. "but I can tell that there was something else that compelled you to be horrible. All the horrible things I've done? Nothing."

"Seriously? Name three horrible things you've done."

"I helped to kill the giants even though they did nothing wrong."

"Wrong. The Deerclops would have killed you anyway. As for the other three-"

"Well the Dragonfly and Goose were just protecting their children," he hissed.

"You were lied to."

"Well, second of all I was the reason my sister was killed..."

"Wrong again. No one blamed you but yourself."

"And third-" He cut himself off, holding his arm out to stop me as well.

"What?"

"That's it..." Webber's voice was barely a whisper. "It... it's the same... I thought it would have looked so much more different. Come on."

I blinked at the area beyond where he was looking. It really looked nothing special to me; The roads were gravel and the homes themselves looked sturdy but basic. _What I wouldn't give to see what he's seeing right now._

 _"It's a world of happiness and excitement. You wouldn't understand... the stories that lie here... the adventures I could tell you... it's just... too amazing... too unbelievable to bear..._ "

 _How long has it been since you stood on these streets?_

 _"Five years, my friend... five long, painful, sad years."_

He had slowed once more to the point he was hardly moving. Gravel cracked under his feet, but that was the only noise in my entire hearing range. It was as though the entire world was holding its breath, waiting, watching.

He broke away suddenly, scattering rocks all over me and freaking me out at the same time. I was following his orders and not looking ahead... and at this point, I particularly did not want to see what was happening next. Webber stopped in front of a particular doorway that looked no different to me. I caught up to him, walking slower than he was, and sat beside him. We exchanged a look _._ He let out a deep breath, then let it out shakily. His entire body was quivering with barely suppressed fear or excitement or both. He lifted his fist, hesitated, adopted a determined expression and rapped on the door three times.

 _Oh dear, doesn't he have another sister? I'm gonna have to meet_ three _different people at_ once _? He is_ so _lucky he's my friend and king._

And it was almost certainly his older sister who answered the knock. She had straight brown hair that ended at her shoulders, brilliant amber eyes, and a smile, along with an empty flower pot in her hands.

"Hi!-" she silenced herself as their eyes met. The clay pot fell to the ground with a loud _smash_ but neither of them paid any attention to it. She dropped to meet his height, and without a word, Webber, the all-powerful King and Night Monster, the unkillable and invincible, wrapped his arms around her neck and sobbed into her shoulder. It was such a sudden change that for a second, I didn't understand what had just happened. I had never really paid attention to his blatant youth because if you just talked to him without ever seeing him it would be impossible to tell how young he was. But the second his eyes met his sister's, he seemed to transform before my eyes. His fierce features almost melted away, his kingliness faded into thin air, and before I knew it he had gone from a king to a child in a matter of moments. He just... _looked_ like a kid.

And it _freaked me out_.

"When I had that dream..." His sister- _Alyvia_ \- murmured. "I knew... I just knew you two were alive somewhere."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be... you were young and foolish, and so was she. You two didn't know any better."

He shook his head.

"He's also your new king just... throwing that out there. Show him, _King Webs._ " I wanted to say something to break the ignorance to the fact I was there.

Webber broke away from her embrace and stepped back, displaying the red hourglass-shaped marking on his chest. "Surprise." He giggled.

She laughed a bit through her own tears and hugged him closely again. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"I-I'm glad too."

"I'm here also, just saying." Of course, my comment still fell on deaf ears.

"Will you stay?"

"I can't." He smiled again. "I have a world to take care of. I just wanted to let you guys know I was alright... I'll visit again sometime soon. Just... tell Mum and Father I said hi?"

"I will, Ty." She squeezed him a little. "I will."


	8. Webber Could Not Defeat Nightmare

_**A/N**_ **: Oh, would you look at that? This spin-off is having it's 1-year anniversary on the 9** **th** **... very interesting. Well, this is one I've been thinking about awhile and I'd say it** _ **almost**_ **tops King Webber for favorite AU xP**

 _This Chapter's What If is..._

 _What if Webber was not strong enough to fight back Nightmare? Originally, he was able to stay himself long enough to free everyone, but that's not the case here. Nightmare aims to break whoever it has under its control, and now it's Webber's turn to be shattered..._

 _ **Webber's POV**_

 __It was hard to see.

Not just hard to see as in my vision was fuzzy or it was too dark to. In fact, neither of those could have even been factors. Totally blind to normal vision, I relied on my ability to see auras.

So... why couldn't I see them anymore?

I knew where I was, however. I knew I would be standing on the frosted grasses of what was once Charlie's domain but now was under my control. The air would have a slight chill to it but warm enough not to have many problems. Which raised another question...

Why couldn't I feel it?

It was as though as feeling had drained from me, physically and emotionally. In fact, emotions felt like an almost absurd concept at the moment. Then I blinked, and the force that had forced me into that empty space in my mind drew back, and I fell to the ground, gasping for air. I closed my eyes for a long moment, trying to figure out where I was exactly. I knew the world, but I did not recall going away from my group at any moment.

After a minute or two, there were only a couple things I could comprehend.

One, I was alone.

Two, I was confused.

And... three... there was something or... someone... dead nearby.

Lastly...

His blood was on my hands.

I drew in a shaky breath, my returning senses swamped with the hot, metallic scent. _Who was unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire this time?_

I had learned only a short time ago of my predicament, but already I had been caught by this strange monster that blocked my conscience entirely and left me bloodied and shaken. A handful of rabbits had been eliminated by this monster, who I could only guess was the enigmatic demon called Nightmare who had appeared to me on the morning before I discovered my newly growing powers.

 _Oh, poor creature_. I thought wretchedly. For the reason of my gift of sight always being the last sense to return, I was unable to distinguish exactly what kind of creature lay at my feet. So I simply waited for it to come back. I would be able to pick out traces of its aura to figure out my latest victim, as I had several times before. I didn't have to wait for its shape to be made out, though.

I recognized his aura long before that.

Unique to only one person in the world, as with mine, Wilbur's, Nick's, and WX-78's.

Silver with a reddish tinge to the edges, black eating away at the silver under the red stripe.

Wilson's.

I blinked furiously, trying to get the image out of my head. _There is_ no way _I could've killed him,_ I told myself angrily. _No way._ But my gift would not- and did not- lie. _No no no no no no no... I didn't want... this... Oh, Wilson, I'm sorry_. I lowered my head, feeling a lump of grief and anger build up in my throat. _You were right..._

 _You can't trust me._

 _I'm a monster._

 _We were friends... remember? A long time ago? You saved my life... you went out of your way to make sure I recovered from the tree guard, all that time ago. If it weren't for you, I would've failed long before this..._

I looked beyond the shadowed trees, using my knowledge of the layout of my world to find my way back. _I need to tell them..._

 _I'll tell them and go._

 _I can't keep doing this. I can't let myself hurt anyone else._ I felt a sharp pain in my palm, and when I glanced at my hand quickly to check it I saw long, dark claws digging into it. I realized that moment... if I was going to hurt someone, running away wouldn't stop it. Whoever this demon was and whatever it really wanted- how could I believe that it just wanted to keep me alive after this?- it would get it no matter how far I fled.

 _Maybe it was just protecting me_ , a thought echoed in my mind, almost as though I still had the treacherous voice of my spider speaking to me. _Maybe Wilson was going to do something to me. Maybe he was going to hurt me again..._ I shivered uncontrollably, the scene of him slitting my throat and blinding me playing in my head as though it happened just the day before, even though it was over a year ago since it happened. _He's tried it once, maybe he was going to try again?_

But something in that didn't quite click with me. I believed it, but my instincts told me it was wrong. _Well maybe I don't have the sharpest instincts,_ I thought wryly, remembering that it was my instincts that killed my sister and nearly killed me. _Maybe I need to follow my mind more. Especially_ _since I no longer have any influence._

 _Except for that demon..._ I felt more than thought.

 _No. Nothing that has happened wouldn't have happened if I wasn't in danger._ I sighed heavily and dropped to my knees, letting myself mourn just a little bit. _Whatever the case is... I'm sorry our chance at being friends again is lost._ I hated to say it, though... despite my current actions...

I hardly cared at all.

…

The days afterward went by almost normally. During that time I acquired limited mind reading, but I found that the others pretty much said whatever they thought. I could sense everyone's grief at Wilson's disappearance- _I couldn't possibly let them know what happened... for my sake and his_ \- but I could also sense traces of relief shared by Wilbur and WX, and, I had to admit, myself.

Nick, however, wasn't taking it so well.

He shut down, more than normal. He was never very talkative in the first place- to us at least as he spent his time with Wilson- but without what his mind called his 'best friend of this world' he felt lost. Even when Wilbur had pressed him about the Revolution, something he used to be so proud of talking about and would do so with a glimmer in his unnaturally blue eyes, he simply gave one-word answers or sometimes, none at all.

"Hey, are you okay?" Wilbur asked tentatively, speaking quietly and only to me- _we had discovered that after my spider's demise my ability to speak that language did so as well_ -. "I know it's been lonely without Wilson but... you still have us!" He gave me a sort of half-smile. I could tell he was trying to cheer me up, and I forced a smile back even though my mind was a whirlwind of darkness and terror.

"It's not that..." I murmured uneasily. "Of course, it _is_ weird without him... he's been with me the longest actually since WX was gone a long time and you and Nick didn't join our group until later... but I'm actually worried about him." I nodded to the blue-eyed warrior, who was running his finger down his blue blade's edge as though testing the sharpness.

"I've been worried about him too," he agreed, much to my relief missing my lack of grief at Wilson's disappearance. "It's just..." he let out a shaky breath, and I could barely comprehend how closely Wilbur, the one who's mind told me he was okay with just about everyone dying, save for me and maybe WX, was to tears. "I've lost so many people, Webber. I think I can save them but... I never can..." He touched his crown almost unconsciously.

"I thought you never got close to anyone?"

"I've never opened up about it," he responded after a moment. "And I've dealt with Nightmare in the past... I've learned how to block my mind from mind readers." He gave me a halfhearted wink.

"Did you think you could save Wilson?"

"If I would've known what happened to him...? Perhaps. But..." he looked down at his paws, flexing and unflexing his claws and disturbing the ground below him. "Webber, it's been over a week and... and I don't think he's coming back."

I almost explained to him what happened. After all, if I couldn't trust Wilbur or WX, who could I trust? But then I looked into his eyes and I saw swirling emotions and raging grief so painful I couldn't bring myself to. He was right... he was amazing at blocking his mind because none of that showed through. _Since I learned I could do this... I stopped looking at his eyes. His mind tells me nothing compared to what his eyes tell me_. I looked at Nick. _Maybe he's the same way. Maybe I base him off of what he thinks and not what he_ thinks _he feels_.

 _Oh, I'm so sorry Nick._

"I don't either," I sighed.

"I wish I knew what happened..." he poked a hole in the dirt with his front claw.

 _He knows something._ I realized. _He knows something... I don't think he even knows he knows._

 _But he knows._

 _I can't let him._

I felt a little sick at where my mind was going. I closed my eyes tightly, gritting my teeth. "I have to go," I hissed.

"Webber? Are you sure you're okay?" 

"I'm _fine_ ," I snapped, flipping around to walk away. The second I started moving I began to feel dizzy, and I knew Nightmare was trying to break through again. _I won't let it._

In a daze, I fled in a random direction. _I have to keep this secret! No one can know!_

In my haste, I realized I wasn't looking ahead of me as well as I should and I was promptly cloths-lined by an amused robot.

"YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T BE RAGING THROUGH THE FOREST BY YOURSELF," he commented, a sneering tone in his voice as per usual.

"I'm not in the mood, WX," I growled. "Get out of my way." I shoved him away and attempted to continue fleeing before he grabbed my arm.

"ALL JEERS ASIDE, WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WITH WILSON." He paused for a moment before adding, "YOU'RE TOO IMPORTANT TO LOSE."

"I said _get out of my way,_ " I snatched my arm back and before I even could stop myself my other arm was forming an attack, and a blast of pure darkness sent him flying backward. Of course, it wasn't enough to hurt him that badly, and he was already scrabbling to his feet again, his 'eyes' wide with shock. He obviously didn't expect my rebuttal to be attacking him instantly.

He opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it again, examining me silent for just a few seconds, realization sparking anew in his gaze. "...YOU KILLED WILSON..."

I was about to deny it but before I can something else woke up inside me. "You can't know!" I shouted. "No one must know!"

"WHY DID YOU DO IT?" He continued, not sounding too sure whether he was right or not, but his accusation was gaining strength every word he spoke. " _HOW_ COULD YOU DO IT."

I looked down, quivering. "He wanted to hurt me," I murmured shakily. "He wanted to _hurt_ me WX! What was I supposed to do!?" 

"TALK TO HIM! EXPLAIN TO HIM YOU WEREN'T THE BAD GUY!" He closed his 'eyes' tightly and looked away. "I SUPPOSE YOU ARE THE BAD GUY NOW, THOUGH." He looked up again, new resolution burning in his gaze and searing in his mind. "AND I SUPPOSE I AM YOUR NEXT VICTIM." He looked... unconcerned...

"You are essentially begging to be," I muttered.

"I KNOW I CAN'T STOP YOU," he went on. "I KNEW FROM THE SECOND THAT YOU TOLD ME WHAT YOU WERE THAT IF YOU DID THIS NO ONE COULD STOP YOU." His voice took on a challenging note. "THE ONLY THING STOPPING YOU RIGHT NOW IS YOUR OWN MORALITY. THE SECOND YOU LOSE THAT... THE WORLD IS GONE. SO GO AHEAD. PROVE YOUR DEMON RIGHT. PROVE YOU ARE TOO WEAK-MINDED TO HOLD HIM BACK AND KILL ME RIGHT NOW. OR... PROVE YOU ARE STRONGER THAN THAT AND WALK AWAY."

"You dare call me weak?" I seethed.

"I AM GIVING YOU THE OPTION TO PROVE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER."

I made a move to walk away, to show I was no threat, to show I was stronger.

Nightmare, however, refused to let me show such mutiny.

I forced myself to look down. I didn't want to see what was in his gaze. I looked back up anyway, slowly, to meet his challenge. "I'm sorry," I hissed, feeling the last of myself drain away.

He took an uncertain step back, as though wondering to fight or flee, but before he could decide he was on the ground again, this time real damage was meant to be made, and that is exactly what happened.

Two seconds.

Two seconds was all it took and he was stripped of his- however artificial- life.

Despite this... despite everything... everything we had done together and for each other... I felt even less remorseful than I did after Wilson.

He wasn't real. He wasn't alive. He didn't have a real mind, or real emotions, or feel real pain.

So why should I care?

I jerked my head to where I came from. _You're next,_ my mind hissed.

Before I had even taken a few steps my next victim was slinking towards me, his tail dragging on the ground. He looked up, slowly, and met my gaze. He didn't look mad, or shocked, or anything I expected him to look. He didn't even pay any attention to my previous victim. He just looked... sad. "Webber..." he murmured patiently, stopping a good several feet away from me. "I know... I know this isn't you. I also know... that I might die. I know I probably will die. But please... for all it's worth... please hear me out.

"I probably deserve to die. I've done far too many horrible things with my life to stay alive much longer." Wilbur risked a step closer to me. "You never knew them. You don't know what it's like to lose someone you love- not even love like a sibling, but truly... truly love. I know I've... said before that I have never loved anyone... but I lied. I've always lied... actually, almost everything your know about me is a lie. I'm not happy. I'm not excitable. I'm not a good guy. I was the bad guy... I was the bad guy of my own story, Webber. I could have been a hero. I could have been the hero who saved the world.

"I didn't though. I turned into a monster. I _let_ myself turn into a monster. And because of that... I lost everyone I loved. And you know whose fault it was? Mine. It was my fault." He was silent for a moment. "You never knew Roslyn or Elizabeth. I think you would've gotten along fine with them."

"Roslyn? Elizabeth?"

He closed his eyes for a long minute. "It's ancient history now."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I don't want you to become a miserable creature like me. You have the choice still, Webber. You can _still_ be the hero! Even if you kill me... you have the chance to turn around. Be glad that you have the choice because I didn't."

More silence.

 **"Elizabeth is not dead."**

Wilbur jerked his head up to meet my gaze. "Wh-what?"

 **"She's very much alive. Where you got the idea she is dead is beyond me."**

His eyes lit up for a moment, and he smiled. "My Elizabeth," he purred, before looking away again. "She doesn't care, though. She hates me. And rightly so."

 **"Of course. After all, you ruined her life."**

He opened his mouth to protest then stopped. "I know this isn't you," he whispered. "Nightmare..." he was about to continue speaking but he doubled over suddenly, his face contorted in pain. Blood began dripping from the prime ape's belly until he stood in a puddle of crimson. He didn't fall, though- not yet. Instead, he looked up, a regretful look on his face. "You killed her this way too," he hissed, holding his arm over the wound as if trying to stop the blood flow.

A quick scene flashed in my mind, but I was only aware of a few things before it disappeared. Wilbur, slightly younger but not by much at all, perhaps only a few years, crouched in front of another, slighter lighter colored prime ape, crying; blood spilling from its stomach; Maxwell, behind me and watching coldly; Charlie sobbing behind me.

 _Nightmare's memory_ , I noticed seconds before he started speaking again.

"I know I won't survive this," he breathed, panting already and his legs weakening. "But before I die... please... do with me whatever you did with her..." His legs crumpled and he rolled onto his side, laughing with tears running down his face and his eyes growing dimmer. "I won't be alone anymore," he sighed with his last breath.

Something snapped in me. Being caught between the murdered bodies of my two closest friends, I slowly, so slowly it would be hard to distinguish, I looked at the very last standing member.

Nick.

His blue eyes were wide and his hand was wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword. A manic grin spread across my face. **"Nicholas Swiftsword the fifth,"** Nightmare purred. **"It's been awhile since I've seen the Power Keeper face-to-face, wouldn't you say? Why... possibly even in the time of my complete form! It's a shame I couldn't be complete to fight you once more, but I don't need to be."**

A quick name was mumbled under his breath and he took a step forward. "All that stands before you and your eternal demise is this sword!" He brandished the blue-bladed weapon, which glowed as it reacted to my presence.

 **"A sword?"**

"The Keeper's Blade, the _Soul Reaper._ The only thing that can destroy you."

 **"Unfortunately if you kill me you'll be taking my vessel with me."**

"Do it, Nick!" I managed to shout through the demon's taunts.

He looked uncertain.

 **"A battle told since the beginning of time itself! Of the legendary** _ **traitor**_ **."**

 _Traitor?_

 **"A monster designed to be indestructible! It was going to destroy all that is good!"** A snarl made its way into Nightmare's voice. **"But it betrayed the Abyss. It turned on its creator and had to** **be eliminated. What else could it do than create another monster? Identical to the original but formed of the Abyss? Something that could not be taken away from its purpose. And so forth came Sirris."**

A battle cry erupted from the normally docile warrior and he lunged forward, slashing his sword in an arc and missing me by a hair.

 **"The Keeper and Sirris went to battle. The Keeper believed he had won, but he had only shattered the monster's soul into pieces."** Nightmare attempted to lash out with a clawed shadow but I stopped it just seconds before it hit Nick. **"After that, because of the mistake of the very first Power Keeper, every new Power Keeper was forced to fight a shard of its biggest enemy. For the Abyss was a fool and created the Power Keeper to become stronger every time he comes back to life. The ever-so-powerful and impossible to defeat!"**

Another flurry of well-aimed attacks from Nick and I dodged each of them, saved only by my own magic.

 **"But the shards had to come together. There had to be a final battle of light against dark, good against evil. Every day Ada grows stronger, and soon, Ada will be strong enough to reform into Sirris. The only thing that stands between Sirris and the end of the world is the mistake formed millions of years ago. A tale as old as time itself. But,"** another, insane grin spread across my face. **"Perhaps Ada doesn't need to become whole again to defeat the Power Keeper. My friend, you have found yourself face-to-face with the Shard of Terror. Nightmare, the shard of Sirris who destroyed this land and its people thousands of years ago and thousands of times."**

"You are nothing different from the others!" Nick barked. "You are no stronger than Drennen, who has fought with me many times before!" 

**"That is where you are wrong, fool. Because unlike Drennen, who was shattered from Sirris itself, I am a being of pure darkness. I** _ **have**_ **no mortal fo-"** The demon's exclamation was cut off as a searing pain shot through my abdomen. Nick had finally landed a hit on me- impaled through the stomach.

It felt like something was slithering through my veins directed at the point where the sword met my skin like it was being pulled out of me. I let out a gasp and fell, feeling my energy being drained into the sword. "Thank... you..." I choked. Nick said nothing and instead grabbed the sword again, put his foot on my chest and kicked me down to retrieve it, still glowing brightly and still absorbing the darkness that had gathered in me. I closed my eyes and let out a shuttering breath.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way, Webber," he said quietly, not looking at me. "I'm sorry it had to end this way for any of us..."


End file.
